Lawn-mower.



PATENTED OCT.. 25, 1904.

' C. L. WILGOX.

LAWN MOWER.

APPLIOATION FILED rmm. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEBTSBHEET 1.

S 2 S S a n7 :1 .1

' UNTTnn STATES Patented October 25, 199 1.

PATENT Orricn.

LAWN-MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,359, dated October 25, 1904.

' Application filed February 1, 1904. Serial No. 191,562. No model.)

1'0 all whom, it nan/y concern:

Be it known that l, CAMDEN L. WILoox, a citizen of the United States, residingat West Williamsfield, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Lawn-Mower, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lawn-mowers; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall be simple in construction and effective in operation and which shall possess other structural advantages.

The invention consists in certain improvements in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the component parts of the device to be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a simple and preferred form of embodiment of my invention, it being understood, how ever, that I do not necessarily limit myself to the exact structural details therein shown, but reserve to myself the right to such changes, alterations. and modifications, especially with regard to size, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage, as may be resorted to within the scope of my invention and without departing from the spirit 01' sacrificing the utility of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a lawn-mower constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view showing one of the supports for the knife-bar and spool or roller. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the supporting-spring at one of the rear corners and related parts. Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar numerals of reference.

The frame of my improved lawn-mower consists, essentially, of side bars 1 1, which are provided with bearings for the main shaft or axle 2 and the front or reel-carrying shaft 3. The side bars are also connected at their front ends by means of a cross-bar 4:, the ends of which are provided with adjusting-nuts 5 and 6, the inner ones of which, 5, abut upon the inner side members of the frame, so as to space the latter apart, while the outer ends 6 bear against the outer sides of said side members to retain them securely in any position to which they may be adjusted.

The main shaft or axle 2 carries the traction-wheels 7 7 both of which are mounted loosely upon the axle, clutch members (conventionally shown at 8) being employed to transmit rotary motion to the axle when the machineis propelled in a forward direction. The detailed construction of these parts is quite common and well understood in machines of this class, and it has not been illustrated in detail in the drawings. The main shaft also carries asprocket-wheel 9, connected by a chain 10 with a sprocket-pinion 11 on the reel-carrying shaft, to which motion is thereby transmitted when the machine is propelled in a forward direction. The sprocketwheels and chain are inclosed within a suitably-constructed casing12, whereby they are protected and prevented from becoming entangled with grass that is being cut and from becoming choked with dust and dirt.

The main shaft or axle 2 is made tubular, and it rotates upon a rod or shaft 13, which latter is adjustable in slots 14, formed longitudinally in the side pieces, the ends of the shaft being provided with tightening-nuts 15, whereby it may be secured at anydesircd adjustment. This is to provide for the longitudinal adjustment of said shaft in order to provide for the taking up of slack or lost motion in the connecting-chain 10.

The shaft 3 carries the cutting-reel 16, which is composed of a plurality of spirally-curved knives or cutters l7, mountedupon disks 18, which are suitably secured upon the shaft and which are provided with arms to which the said knives or cutters are attached.

The side pieces 1 1 of the frame are provided near their front ends with depending brackets 19, which are approximately U- shaped and which may be cast upon or suitably attached to the said side pieces. Each of said brackets is provided with set-screws 20 in the side thereof and with an additional set-screw 21 in the bottom portion thereof.

.Pivotally connected with the side bars 1 l to the rear of the brackets 19 are curved arms 22, which extend iearly to the bottom parts of the brackets 19, which latter are curved outward, so that their lower parts shall be disposed in planes somewhat beyond the planes of the vertical outer sides of the side bars 1.

The curved arms 22 will thus be partly disposed within said U -shaped brackets, and they are provided with shoulders or offsets 23 and with downward angular extensions 24. The front and rear sides being thus disposed in alinement with the set-screws 2O may be engaged by the latter, and thereby adjusted and retained in various positions. The setscrew 21 will bear against the under side of S the offset or shoulder 23 and when tightened against the latter will serve to effect a very secure adjustment of the arms 22. The angular downward, extensions of the latter include bracket members 25, supporting the 20 knife-bar 26, which cooperates with the knives 17 to cut the grass with a shear-like action.

It is obvious that by mounting the knifebar 26 in the manner herein described it may be adjusted with an extreme degree of nicety, 5 which is eminently desirable in order to attain the very best results. The supportingarms 22 are adjustable independently of each other, and each is capable of being adjusted, by means of the screws 20 E2], in such a man- 3 ner as to obtain the precise degree of contact desired between the edges of the knife-bar and the cutters.

The extended lower ends of the arms 22 are provided with rearwardly-extending lugs 27, having vertical slots 28. Castings 29 are con nected with the inner sides of the lugs 27 by means of bolts 30 extending through the slots 28, whereby the said castings are made vertically adjustable. Said castings are provided 4 with bearings for a shaft 31, carrying the spool or roller-32, which engages the ground in rear of the cutting apparatus and normally supports the weight of the latter. By the construction just described the said roller is made adjustable, so as to support the cutting apparatus at the desired distance above the ground.

Pivotally connected with the side pieces 1 l of the frame, near the rear ends of the latter, 5 are the handle-carrying members 33, which converge rearwardly and which are securely connected with the sides of the handle 34 by means of bolts 35 or equivalent connecting means. Upon the inner sides of the handle members 33 are perforated lugs 36, and similar perforatcdlugs 37 are formed or provided at the rear ends of the side members 1 1. The perforated lugs 36 and 37 are connected by bolts 38, having nuts 39, said bolts being disposed to play loosely in the perforated lugs, and springs 41:0, coiled upon the said bolts between the lugs, serve to force the latter apart from each other, thereby naturally forcing the handle-carrying members in an 5 upward direction. Pins 40, extending laterally from the sides of the frame members 1, serve to limit the movement of the handlecarrying members in a downward direction, thereby preventing excessive strain from being exercised upon the springs.

By the construction just described it will be seen that the handle-carrying members, and consequently the handle, are normally sustained in a raised or elevated position, in which position the handle is ready to be grasped by the operator. hen the machine is to be used, the handle end of the machine is in the act of pushing to propel the machine naturally pressed against the tension of the springs elO, thus exercisingadownward pressure upon the frame of the machine in rear of the main shaft or axle. Thus pressure will be gag-ed by the experienced operator in such a manner as to relieve the front part of the frame, and especially the spool or roller 32, from excessive weight, and. the weight is thrown upon the traction-wheels, which will thereby be caused to grip or engage the ground with a greatly-increased degree of tenacity. It follows as a matter of course that the machine will not be liable at any time to slip or slide over the ground and that positive motion will at all times be imparted to the cutting mechanism. Where the grass has grown so tall that it may not be readily cut by a single operation, the handle may be depressed sufiiciently to elevate the front part of the machine to an extent which will cause the cutting apparatus to operate upon the top of the grass. After trin'iming the tops off downward pressure upon the handle may be decreased and the cutting apparatus consequently lowered and a second cut may be made, and, if desired or necessary, the cutting operation may be repeated several times until the grass shall be trimmed smoothly and evenly and of the precise length to which the machine has been set to operate. At all times it will be found that by properly gaging the downward pressure upon the handle the machine will operate to perform the desired work easily and with only a slight degree of friction.

It will be observed that the cutting apparatus of my improved machine is of considerable width and that it extends entirely across the machine in front of the traction-wheels, thus cutting a wide swath and making it unnecessary for the traction-wheels to travel in the tall grass. The motion-transmitting gearing, which is disposed beyond the plane of one of the traction-wheels, is thoroughly incased and protected from injury or entanglement. By means of the spacing and connecting rod4at the front end of the machine the side members of the frame are notonly firmly connected at any desired adjustment, but it will be observed that said side members may be forced in the direction of each other when desired. This is an important feature of the machine,

for the reason that the reel-carrying shaft 3 is usually and preferably mounted with ballbearings, the casings of which have been indicated in the drawings hereto annexed. hen owing to constant wear the bearings become loose, the slack thus occasioned may be quickly and effectively taken up by proper adjustment of the nuts 5 and 6.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In a lawn-mower, a frame, a reel-carrying shaft equipped with cutters, curved arms pivotally connected with the sides of the frame, brackets depending from said sides, adjusting-screws in said brackets engaging the pivoted arms, and a knife-bar supported by the latter.

2. In a lawn-mower, a frame, brackets depending from the sides of said frame and having adjusting-screws, arms connected pivotally with the sides of the frame and having shoulders or offsets and downward angular extensions having bracket members, the front and rear sides of said arms and the under sides of the offsets being engaged by the adjustingscrews, and a knife-bar supported upon the bracket members connected with the angular extensions of the pivoted arms.

3. In a lawn-mower, a frame, brackets depending from said frame, arms pivotally connected with the latter and having offsets and downward angular extensions, adjustingscrews in the said brackets to bear against the adjacent portions of the' pivoted arms, and a knife-bar carried by the latter.

4. In a lawn-mower, a frame, arms pivotally connected with the sides of the same and carrying a knife-bar, brackets connected with the frame and having adjusting-screws engaging the arms, lugs extending rearwardly from the latter, bearings vertically adjustable inslots in said lugs, and a roller-carrying shaft journaled in said bearings.

5. In a lawn-mower, a frame, a main axle having traction-wheels, cutting apparatus disposed at the front end of said frame, handlecarrying members connected pivotally With the sides of the frame near the rear end ofthe latter, vertically-perforated lugs upon said handle members and upon the rear ends of the side bars of the frame, bolts loosely connecting said perforated lugs, and expansionsprings coiled upon said bolts.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CAMDEN L. WILCOX.

Witnesses:

P. L. WOODWORTH, JOHN WALLACE. 

